1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a method for the qualitative measurement, by means of a cell-phone capable of emitting the florescent and phosphorescent wavelength light spectrum, capturing images, and image processing, of the water qualities, including alkalinity, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, coliform bacteria and E. coli levels in a water sample, and to an apparatus for implementing the method.
2. Background of the Invention
Availability of water is perhaps the most essential factor in determining where humans can live, grow food, and develop industry. The United Nations issued a report stating nearly 5,000 children die each day due to a lack of clean water, according to http://news.softpedia.com/news/Lack-of-Clean-Water-Kills-2-Million-Children-a-Year-39814.shtml, last visited Sep. 4, 2010. Additionally, with the rise of terrorism, the likelihood of an attempt to contaminate a municipal fresh-water supply is more likely than ever. Public water treatment facilities are only effective against some replicating (infectious) agents, and a few biotoxins are inactivated by chlorine, according to W. Dickinson Burrows and Sara E. Renner, Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 107, Number 12, December 1999. Even the popular press has expressed concerns about the availability of water and water quality tests, as evidenced by a series of New York Times articles, according to C. Torchia, UN Warns of Rising Demand for Clean Water, Associated Press (Mar. 16, 2009). Natural disasters also give rise to the need for a system and method of water quality testing which is easy to use, yields quick and accurate results, is inexpensive, and is generally available to the public.
In Third World countries such a device could save millions of lives and billions of dollars as considerable capital is spent finding, moving, storing, and purifying water for human consumption, according to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Cercla, or Superfund), U.S. Senate Report—Update, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2007). In First World countries such a device could help inhabitants by permitting them to self-assess water quality in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for a faster, simpler, low-cost, real-time device suitable for water testing throughout the world for reasons of health and national security. Standard water quality tests include the following: Mardel Test Strips® for pH, ammonia, and alkalinity; Vernier LabPro® with appropriate probes for dissolved oxygen; and Colilert-18, fifteen test tube test for coliform bacteria and E. coli. Some commercially available tests for water quality are subject to human error, chemical reaction failures, and mechanical calibration failures. Additionally, most water quality testing equipment is unavailable to the general public. These shortcomings result in unnecessarily high costs, slow results, and inaccurate information.
In addition to the standard tests noted above, in the past people have employed photography to determine water quality. In particular, aerial photography has been used to determine water pollution in catfish ponds, according to F. D. Whistler, J. Young, W. F. Miller, Aerial Surveillance To Monitor Water Quality in Catfish Ponds, Proceedings (1976). Others have used luminescence to determine dissolved oxygen levels in surface water, according to M. A. J. Rodgers and P. T. Snowden, Lifetime of 02 (1 A,) in Liquid Water As Determined by Time-Resolved Infrared Luminescence Measurements, American Chemical Society J. Am. Chem. SOL. 1982, 104, 5541 (1982). Lastly, pattern recognition is used for water quality assessment, according to P. Newton, Multi-component Pattern Recognition and Differentiation Method Analytical Chemistry Vol. 44, No. 14 (December 1972). The present disclosure uses a combination of those three elements, photography, luminescence, and pattern recognition to determine alkalinity, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, coliform bacteria and E. coli water qualities in water samples.
For the past two years, a water quality device has been developed which attempted to overcome most of these shortcomings. In particular, a device composed of a computer, a camera and shoe box whose interior was painted with florescent and phosphorescent paint and subsequently, using a cell-phone to replace the computer and the camera. These devices were presented at the New Jersey Regional Science Fair on Mar. 20, 2009. Details of the presentation can be found on the website http://www2.research.att.com/˜kbl/njrsf/index.html and clicking on home>past fair>NJRSF 2009>Abstracts (last visited Sep. 4, 2010). In particular the following abstract of the presentation is as follows:
“EN.19: Evaluation of Cell Phone as Novel Water Quality Testing Apparatus, Alison Dana Bick, Millburn H. S.: The availability of water is perhaps the most essential factor in determining where humans can live, grow food, and develop industry. Existing water quality tests are subject to human error, chemical reaction failures, and mechanical calibration failures. These shortcomings result in unnecessarily high costs, slow results, and inaccuracies. Currently, large computers and high cost cameras are used to assess water quality. Using readily available equipment, an apparatus was created and tested which overcame some of the shortcomings associated with traditional water quality testing systems. This project created and tested a low cost, highly effective, water quality testing apparatus composed of a cell phone, fluorescent and phosphorescent paint and a simple enclosure. Evaluation of the data required the creation of a novel stepwise regression statistical methodology and the novel use of an image analysis program. With a 95% confidence level, the apparatus can assess ammonia and alkalinity in water samples with the accuracy comparable to a commercially available testing apparatus. During the past three years the novel apparatus has morphed from a system composed of a large computer, a digital camera, and auxiliary equipment into a customized programmed cell phone. This year, a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip was fabricated and represents the next step of the novel water quality apparatus s metamorphosis. Additionally, a mathematical proof of the novel stepwise regression statistical methodology has been drafted.”
The devices referred to above have two significant shortcomings, in particular they could only accurately detect inorganic water qualities and they required custom made elements, in particular, the florescent and phosphorescent painted shoe box. Thus these devices could not test a sufficient range to determine suitable drinking water and they were not readily available.
Recently, a novel apparatus and method eliminated the custom made elements of these devices by adding new and additional software programs to the cell-phone element of these devices, plus a mirror element, to overcome the shortcomings of these devices. The present invention is capable of accurately detecting both inorganic and organic water qualities. With a confidence level of 80% or greater for inorganic qualities, 65% or greater for organic qualities, the present invention will yield the same results as the results generated by commercially available water-quality tests. The entire device can be made from one cell-phone, plastic bag and mirror. These elements are readily available worldwide and thus the present invention would prove invaluable in determining water quality for the purpose of determining if the water is drinkable by a member of the general public in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
The present invention discloses that commercially available cell-phones can be programmed to directly assess images of water illuminated by the wavelength spectrum emanating from a cell-phone screen display, nominally 430 to 640 nanometers. This spectrum mimics fluorescent light with graphical peaks of approximately 1,400 photocount intensity at about 460 nanometers; approximately 3,700 photocount intensity at about 560 nanometers, and approximately 3,800 photocount intensity at about 625 nanometers.
The cell-phone uses standardized, pixel-intensity data correlated with water qualities, generated by the software of the current disclosure. In particular, the cell-phone can accurately determine the alkalinity, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, coliform bacteria, and E. coli levels of a sample. In short, a cell-phone can be programmed to evaluate water samples to detect pathogens, chemicals, and other biological contaminants more quickly, less expensively, and generating results essentially similar to commercial water-quality tests. The present invention also demonstrates that most cell-phones can be remotely converted into water quality testing apparatuses, merely by downloading an application and employing a mirror and transparent container such as a drinking glass or clear plastic bag. Thus in the event of an emergency, a cell-phone can be rapidly converted into a water-quality testing device.
Reference is now made to the accompanied drawings from which form a part of the specifications of the present invention. In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number. FIGS. one to four show various perspectives of the present invention.